Tim Booth
Bone

Tim Booth, former singer of James, an artist with a bohemian spirit, a great lyricist (perhaps one of the best), released in 2004 "Bone", his true first solo album.

"Bone", a record filled with sweet and tranquil sounds, pleasant to any ear in search of good music. The main ingredient of this good work with a pseudo indie-pop/indie-rock flavor, is undoubtedly the guitars or, to be entirely clear, the acoustic guitar, the undisputed protagonist of almost all the tracks within the album, yes, indeed, the "maestro" of the orchestra to which all other instruments, including Tim's pleasant voice, pay maximum attention.

The sound never slips into the banal but, on the contrary, is enriched interestingly by the use of electric drums, synths, electric atmospheres, and various manipulations. The album opens with the single "Wave hello", a decent rock piece that winks a bit at Bono's singing style and U2's sound; acceptable and without many compromises. Among the tracks that immediately strike at first listen, we can find "Love hard"; here the heavily distorted electric guitars make their entrance when least expected, going on to "violate" the relaxing instrumental and Tim's always calm voice, despite the music's "mood swings". Excellent track.
"Falling down" deserves to be listened to quite a few times before being assimilated; it is a beautiful piece that focuses a lot on atmosphere and even more on the delicate beauty of the lyrics, perhaps one of the best present in "Bone". Among the autobiographical pieces, we find "Discover", exciting from an emotional point of view and heart-wrenching (if Bersani allows me) in its entirety. As always, Tim Booth's voice, as it was with James and as it is now, knows how to play its role to the letter. Fascinating...

The ninth track, "Down to the sea", another single, is a good piece, tasteful and easy to listen to; not exactly for refined palates but a good piece. "In the darkness" goes wonderfully but if you want a touch of carefree energy, you might want to skip right to the next track, "Eh Mama"; it's not incredibly deep, but it knows how to make heads move without too many stupid pretensions. In the end, what can I say... Tim Booth knows how to make music and has proven it on several occasions: with James, his collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti, and finally with this solo work. Certainly, "Bone" has the only flaw of being a bit too similar to itself, but come on, we can't make a big deal out of it... in the end, it's still, at least from my point of view, good music.

p.s.
And then, look at that crazy face! www.timbooth.co.uk